Tea drinking is linked with a reduced risk of dementia in the elderly according to new research. A study on Taiwanese seniors found that those who kept a diet comprising plant-based food and drinks, dairy products, as well as seafood and fish, exhibit better cognitive performance.
In particular, this latest study data found that tea and fish could potentially help protect the brain from dementia. The risk of the disease was found to be cut down by a remarkable 50% for those who consumed both tea and fish four times a week, the study suggested, based on the data from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT).
Commenting on this latest published research data, Dr Tim Bond from the Tea Advisory Panel notes: “This was a cohort study of 1,436 elderly participants who exhibited no dementia-related symptoms when initially assessed in 1999-2000. The study followed up the cohort 11 years later and assessed cognitive function by the internationally recognised Mini-Mental State Examination score (MMSE). When assessed in 2012 19.53 % of the entire participant group were diagnosed with dementia but people who consumed tea and fish every week were less likely to succumb to cognitive illness. Those who consumed both tea and fish less than once a week had a 24% assessment of dementia but those consuming both more than four times a week had reduced the probability of developing dementia to only 12%.”
